


While in a Car I Wrote About Edelgard Thinking and Byleth Dreaming

by HoroshoujoAi



Series: Slow Moments Between All That Chaos [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Drabble, Dreams, F/F, Hubert is really only in there for like five seconds, I got a little car sick while writing this, Romance, Sothis is my favorite character to write despite the fact I've only written her this one time, post skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:50:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoroshoujoAi/pseuds/HoroshoujoAi
Summary: I was in a car ride and got really bored so I wrote this before getting car sick. No, I wasn't driving. This little drabble is the post skip, a little before Byleth wakes up, and a little after.





	While in a Car I Wrote About Edelgard Thinking and Byleth Dreaming

“Your Majesty,” Hubert approached Edelgard in the Cardinal Room where she looked through multiple reports. The deadlock didn’t seem to be tilting in any one direction, and she’d have to suffer heavy losses if she didn’t make a move soon.

“Yes, Hubert?” Her voice was strong, but she was tired. Another nightmare had plagued her the night before. They seem more prevalent the more battles she had to attend to. The more soldiers she had to see reach for her in the field, desperate for help that could never come. Sacrifice was necessary for the change the world needed. That’s what she told herself.

“...so we sent Petra and Bernadetta to hunt with a few others while the rest clean the rubble and prepare for our next move.” Hubert had been speaking, but she was half heartedly listening. There was something they might be missing. She wondered what the Professor would say about moving their troops. 

“That is fine...um, if you’ll excuse me, Hubert, but I would like some alone time.” She spoke, quieter this time.

Hubert took a moment before replying, “As you wish, Your Majesty.” And leaving the room, the door closing behind him. 

With the certainty that no one would hear, Edelgard dropped to her chair with a grunt, her body slumped against the table, head propped up by her one of her horns on her crown. The darn thing was a little too heavy, but sometimes an intimidating presence would be enough to push a surrender without the need of bloodshed. She’d seen it in action when a certain someone stood imposingly above bandits, the Sword of the Creator in her hand, and her expression of the Devil’s Glare. The few times it worked, she was grateful for.

Nearly five years since then. Goddess, she was grateful for the fact that no other casualties had been sustained in taking Garreg Mach, but the one person they’d lost was the only person she could rely on.

Leading the Empire by herself was no easy task and she knew that - the only child fit to become Emperor in the first place. But Goddess, did it weigh on her more and more the longer the war dragged. Her friends, former classmates, they stay by her no matter the consequence, but she can also see the weariness in their eyes, their grief after every battle, and when she passes by the classrooms not a day goes by where she doesn’t see someone wistfully sit at their desk, the phantom echoes of a beloved Professor...her Professor…praising them when the material was understood.

Everyone missed her, misses her still, wherever she might be. Edelgard refused to believe she was dead. Frankly, she seemed like she could escape death if she wanted to, but if she were to die...oh, it was unthinkable. Such a short time Edelgard had known her - Known Byleth - And already the mere thought of her gone forever might be the only thing that can bring her to her knees. Pathetic? Perhaps, but she supposed a little love would make anyone’s knees weak.

Love. She knew it was that, perhaps since the night of the Ball. She didn't regret many things, but perhaps failing to admit her feelings was one of the few exceptions. Now it was simply another weight on her shoulders.

“Byleth…” she whispered into the empty room, lifting her head from the table. The sun was already making its descent to the horizon. With a stretch, the Empress made her way down, deciding a walk was in order to calm herself. A name she hadn’t dared to speak before, but whispered it as though it might summon its bearer with enough effort. Perhaps heading to the Goddess Tower and making such a wish would bring it to fruition? She laughed at the thought, the memories of a clumsy dance coming to mind and bringing a wistful smile to her face as she recalled probably the last time she had seen her Professor happy.

—-

The darkness was overly familiar, as though Byleth had been in such a silence well before. She supposed she had, once or twice. Strange dreams where nothing filled her mind while she slumbered, and she could see the darkness stretch before her. Indeed, it was one she remembered, a rare feat as she didn’t even recall her childhood in detail. 

She wondered why that was.

Oh, but she recalled another detail of these dreams from long ago.

There wouldn’t be a throne of stone carved into the wall, where a young girl with green hair would speak to her with such a peculiar style, but her voice would carry, despite the fact she couldn’t truly hear it. As though it were a voice of her conscience, though not at all so. 

“A bumbling idiot,” she heard the familiar voice mumble, “Ah, but I see you’ve nearly awoken again. Do you not think it is time to return?”

Return?

“Yes, return,” The image of a young girl rolling her eyes came to mind, “The flow of time never stops for anyone. It has only continued since your eyes had closed.”

...It has?

“...Are you a child?! Why must I speak as though you are the girl who had trouble with speaking your language? No, I would suppose even she would understand me more than you could..”

Byleth stood- Well, she kept silent, at least. It’s what she usually did when she didn’t know what to say. She never knew what to say, not unless it was with…

There was a small laugh, “You dreamed about her again.”

...Who?

“Your mind truly is an enigma, to not remember so many things. The girl with the nightmares. The one you are quite fond of. You dreamt of her on the hillside with you, sitting in the grass and enjoying the sun with a smile. You smiled as well. It was a lovely dream, I must say.”

Edelgard, the name crossed her mind. She missed her. Dearly so. 

“Yes, yes, we’ve went over your fondness for the girl many times before, in a state just like this - yet you’re so quick to forget! If you miss her so, than you simply must wake! Time has passed longer than you would believe, and blood will only pool around your feet should you choose to dawdle further.” 

She was right. Byleth knew that much. She had a promise to upkeep. That much, she remembered.

—

On a quiet hillside, near Garreg Mach, there was a tree that looked over the land that vastly spread before it. One could even see the river that flowed from the hill the monastery sat upon down to the village below. Edelgard enjoyed the spot. When the world grew so loud, the soft noise of the nature around it grew so dear. She supposed it reminded her of the quiet presence of a certain Professor she was fond of, but she knew it would be a lot different with Byleth around. 

Perhaps she was only daydreaming, but she swore she had just seen a figure similar to Byleth retrieve themselves from the river. 

The daydream vision only inched closer to her, and perhaps the pounding of her heart drowned out the question the phantom had asked.

“...Edelgard, are you alright?” 

No, she could still hear, somewhat, “I...Professor...is that you…?” 

Her hand trembled as she inched to caress the cheek of the woman before her, untouched by the passage of time. When her hand failed to reach her cheek, her Professor, her Byleth kneeled before her, guiding her hand to her cheek. 

“I’m here.”

Oh, she could cry here and now. But she mustn’t, not when there were words still to be said, “H...how, where were you?”  
“Erm...I believe I was sleeping.” Byleth scratched her other cheek. Edelgard found herself breathlessly laughing, because that was the only alternative to shedding tears. 

“Cracking jokes even at a time like this, Professor?” 

“Did I joke about my heartbeat?”

“...Goddess, you really were slumbering.” 

Byleth chuckled, her smile small while she looked over Edelgard, “You’ve grown so much…” she whispered, “You look...tired.”

She squeezed the hand Byleth guided to her cheek mere moments before, barely realizing that her teacher did not make the move to release it, “It’s been...a long five years, my teacher...the patch I walk with my former classmates...my friends has been long and winding and full of hardships.” Her gaze steadied to meet Byleth, “We’ve faced many we learned alongside with...years before, you told me you would walk with me...will you do that even now?”

Byleth did not hesitate. Her hand squeezed back, and a confident smile Edelgard had missed dearly gracing her features, “I keep my promises Edelgard. I’ll walk this path with you to its very end.” 

The Goddess, perhaps, granted yet another wish of her own, and lifted one of the many weights from her shoulders. Edelgard knew that someone else could help with the rest.


End file.
